Hybridization

Hybridize. It means that you can make something a hybrid. Makes sense, right? Well, it didn't to me last night and so I stubbornly stuck to my belief that it was not a real word, but rather one of those concoctions that the kids in my room periodically create when they discover prefixes and suffixes. I came home and looked it up. It's in the dictionary. I was wrong, and this is the public apology that was demanded by Mark. Sorry, Mark - and anybody else who was offended by my strident insistence on being correct.
The flipside of that would be the events of today. I spent most of the day in the parking lot of the grocery store up the street that was having its Grand Opening. They had a big celebration and invited everyone in the neighborhood. All the local merchants had booths, and there was lots of food and fun - and a stage which featured live music and entertainment from ten in the morning until four in the afternoon. I was the Master of Ceremonies for this event. I got the gig because the assistant to our city councilmember had caught me running the talent show at my son's school back in March. I came highly recommended.
And here's the deal: I didn't disappoint. I got everybody's name right, and when there were acts that needed a few extra moments to set up, I filled the breeze with what passes for witty banter about the goings-on. Don't ask me what I talked about. I don't remember. I know that I stuck pretty close to the script, since I was dealing with a number of real and true professionals. My wife opened the show with a song of her own composition. She may not have had the experience of some of the other performers, but the gang of kids and parents she brought up on the stage were one of the highlights of a magical day.
I got today right. We got today right. We had our moment in the sun, and I learned a new word. Hybridize. Look it up.